The public switched telephone network (PSTN) provides power to telephones at residences via telephone lines. The power provided is relatively low, but provides enough power to maintain a telephone in a ready state while the telephone is on-hook. When a call is made to the telephone, the telephone rings, and when the telephone goes off-hook (i.e., user picks up or activates the handset), the telephone notifies a switch in the PSTN to activate the telephone line for a user to place a telephone call.
While the PSTN has traditionally been the primary source of telephone services in the past, more recent sources of communications has been fiber optics. Fiber optics provide optical communications to residences. The optical communications provide high bandwidth for both voice and data communications.
Each of the forms of communications, wired and optical, provide power to a residence. Much of this power is essentially unused or wasted as users allow their communications devices (e.g., telephone and computer) to remain idle a majority of the day and night. Service providers, however, have little choice but to supply power to the residences due to the nature of communications.